Shadab Iftikhar says Fort William want to go full-time in their bid to stay in the Breedon Highland League.
Iftikhar’s first match was meant to be on Monday against Brora Rangers, but that has been postponed due to Covid-19 cases within the Lochaber side’s squad.
But the new manager has already brought in two new players and revealed Fort are looking at having full-time players within their squad.
He said: “We’re trying to sort some things out, but it’s not easy to go full-time in the middle of the season.
“We’ve got things to assess in the next couple of weeks because we have to take stock and then see what the best way forward is for the football club.
“I think being full-time would be the aim, whether it’s this year or the next year that would be the aim.
“But we know there is a lot of stuff to do with that. If we can do it brilliant, if not we’ll continue to try to improve what we can improve.”
New recruits can make difference
Iftikhar’s two new signings are former Liverpool Academy midfielder Taylor Kelly and ex-New Street FC midfielder Adam Morris.
Both Kelly and Morris were players that were on Iftikhar’s radar before he was announced as Fort boss last month.
He believes both have important roles to play as bottom of table Fort William look to close the eight-point gap to the sides above them.
Taylor Kelly
MidfieldTaylor is the first signing under Shadab Iftikhar.
Taylor spent eleven years at Liverpool FC youth academy before taking some time out to assess his future.
We are delighted that he has returned to football and signed for us. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/uTxuKMA6cZ
— Fort William FC (@FortWilliamFC) December 28, 2021
Iftikhar added: “We’ve signed Taylor and Adam who are two really good lads with good pedigree.
“January is a difficult month but we’ve managed to get those two over the line which is good for the club.
“Both should add a lot of quality. They’re good physical players who should be able to help us with and without the ball.
“I’m hopeful that we’ve added two really quality signings to the team.
“I always look at players and I’m always ready for these situations.
“So when the call came from Fort William I spoke to certain players and we’ve been able to get Taylor and Adam signed.”
Taking stock
Despite being appointed at the end of last month it’s only in the last couple of weeks that Iftikhar has started in his role.
He has been busy taking stock of their situation and is looking forward to his first game in charge against Brora.
He said: “I’ve been making assessments of things, from the outside it’s one thing, from the inside it’s another.
“I’m getting to know everything, it’s like a stock take really.
“And from making these assessments I’m seeing what we need to do going forward.
“We need to work hard on and off the pitch and to make sure we dedicate as much time as we can to improving the team and every aspect of the club.
“There’s no magic wand, we just work hard every day and see where that takes us.”
- Meanwhile, Monday’s games between Buckie Thistle and Rothes and Lossiemouth and Strathspey Thistle have also been postponed due to Covid cases at Buckie and Lossie respectively.
Rothes will now play Brora at Mackessack Park.
